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IRDT 1, 2, 2R

IRDT (Inflatable Re-Entry and Descent Technology) is a new technology to return
payloads from orbit without a heavy heatshield and parachute system. A inflatable cone
provides protection during reentry and a second inflatable extension of the cone reduces
the speed further for a safe landing.

The IRDT concept was initially developed for the surface probes of the Mars 96 mission, lost at launch on November 1996 in a launch
failure.

During the first test, the second cascade was not deployed correctly and the
demonstrator hit the ground with too high speed, causing some damage to the spacecraft. It
landed in a snow storm and was found several days later. This was the only orbital test,
flown on the maiden Soyuz-U Fregat rocket.
The later tests were flown suborbital.

The IRDT 2 flight vehicle has not been found. It appears, that the protective cone of
the payload has been detached to early and the IRDT 2 payload has been damaged during
stage 3 burn of the Volna launch vehicle.

A reflight of the experiment as IRDT 2R was launched successfully in October 2004,
again on a suborbital Volna flight. Again, the
recovery of the vehicle failed.